9 Brilliant tips to survive hot summer nights

Summer is the season of nights out, the beach, picnics, and ice-cream. But it is the season of grilling weather and sticky hard-to-breath humidity. The good news is that you can beat the summer heat without an air conditioner.

1. Always use cotton bed sheets, don’t go after the polyester ones (no matter how attractive the print is or how cheap their price is). Cotton sheets are breathable and absorb sweat. Sweating and laying in your sweat until the temperature suddenly drops at dawn can get you a cold.

2. If you cannot sleep because it is too hot, fold your sheet in a plastic bag and toss it in the freezer few minutes before bedtime. The sheets will be cold at least until you fall asleep.

3. Buy a hot-water-bottle, in winter fill it with hot water to keep you warm; and in summer fill it with iced water to keep you cool in bed. However, do not hug it or put it on your chest or tummy so you wouldn’t get a cold.

4. Keep away from tight clothes. It is better putting on loose cotton outfits; they will keep your body dry, absorb moisture and make you sleep comfortably.

5. There is a very old fashioned way to keep your room cool without using an air-conditioner. Bring a pan full of ice and place it in front of a box fan, the fan will blow the cold air around the room. Make sure there are aren’t any working electrical devices placed close by.

6. If you want to cool down your body in a very short time, place an ice cube on your pulse points (elbows, wrist and behind the knees). However, the traditional and usually most effective way is taking a shower, warm before going to sleep, and cold when you wake up.

7. You can cool a whole room down by placing a wet sheet in front of an open window. It is a similar approach to that of the fan and the ice tray.

8. One of the rules of physics is that hot air rises up (this is why heaters, unlike air conditioners, are usually placed on the ground); so sleep as close to the ground as possible.

9. Lights don’t just lit up places, they raise temperature as well. So, turning off the lights will make a huge difference as well.